There are many instances in the manufacture of apparel and other goods from pieces of woven or knitted textile fabric and the like where, at a sewing station, or similar bonding or uniting station, two elements of fabric or the like must be precisely juxtaposed and moved along a path through the work station. The task is so complex that even in an otherwise highly automated plant this part of the work relies largely on human operators.
Often what is to be accomplished at the station involves uniting the two elements along a straight line. Frequently, the two elements are not of the same size or shape, or even of the same material. Typically, although not necessarily, the two elements are physically stacked one on the other as the two enter the work station, in such a manner that an edge of one is longitudinally and vertically aligned with an edge of the other, and the sewing, bonding or other uniting is accomplished along a line that is parallel to but set back from the aligned edges by some predetermined fraction of an inch.
The task is further complicated in instances where one of the elements is roll fed and the other is in the form of discrete pre-cut pieces, or where one element is of a doubled-over two-ply nature or is made of more stretchable material than the other, and especially where one element is intentionally made shorter than the other by a predetermined amount, and needs to be stretched in a controlled manner while passing through the work station.
Illustrative of the general task is the instance where rib-knit cuff material is to be sewn to the outer end margin of a fleece-knit sweatshirt sleeve, at a stage where the sleeve is still a flat piece of fabric which has neither been joined to itself along opposite longitudinal edges, nor been joined at the upper end to a sweatshirt body. Another instance is where similar rib-knit waistbanding is to be sewn to the lower edge margin of a jacket, or a sweatshirt body whether tube knit, or the upper edge margin of leggings, pants, shorts, trunks, trousers and the like, as well as to provide cuffs at the lower edge margins of such garments full-zippered or the like. Yet other instances are the tasks of sewing decorative stripes along the sleeves of sweatshirts and similar garments and along the legs of sweatpants and the like. Some more highly-styled or fashionable garments, for instance jogging suits, are manufactured of much the same material and by much the same processes, where the same or similar tasks heeds to be performed. A further instance is the task of sewing a zipper to the body of a so-called full zip hood sweatshirt. It is probable that similar tasks need to be performed on similar material out of the apparel construction art, e.g. in the manufacture of furniture upholstery, vehicle seating, seat covers, slip-covers, drapery, tents, back-packs, baby carriers and the like.
Although the principles of the invention are believed to have applicability across the broad field just described, it happens to have been devised as apparatus and a method for attaching rib-knit cuffs to fleece knit sweatshirt sleeve ends and rib-knit waistbands to the lower edge margins of fabric-knit jacket bodies, and for illustrative purposes are particularly described in relation thereto in this dodument, in the belief that, once the principles are set forth, ways and means for adaptation to any analogous tasks at hand will become readily apparent to those skilled in the art.